Fountain



E. SCHOYEN.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

FOUNTAIN.

(No Model.)

,404- Patented Aug. 3, 1897.

FOUNTAIN.

No. 587,404. Patented Aug.'8,1897.

faim" UNITED STATES AArtnr trice,

FOUNTAIN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,404, dated August3, 1897'. Application filed May 29, 1896. Serial No. 593,616. (Nomodel.)

fo all whom t may concern.-

Be it known that I, EMIL ScHoYEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mankato, in the county of Blue Earth and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and useful Fountain, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to that class of fountains which depends fortheir action upon the compression of air in a reservoir by the entranceof water into a relatively lower reservoirfrom a basin or fount locatedabove the first-mentioned reservoir, the compression of the air in thelast-mentioned reservoir serving to expel the water therefrom, which isdelivered in a jet or spray and received into the said basin or fount,the reservoirs being connected and invertible, so that the full and theempty one can be made to change places,

thereby keeping the fountain in operation, the only attent-ion necessarybeing to turn or invert the reservoirs, which can be effected in amoments time.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a fountain of the characteraforesaid, and known as Heros fountain, which will be of uniqueappearance and especiallydesigned to be used as an aquarium, therebykeeping the water in circulation and preventing its stagnating, andwhich will be simple in the arrangement of its parts, obviate choking ofthe water and air passages, and provide a stand for flowers and plants,so that the latter may receive the benefit of the jet or spray of water,the device in its entirety being compact and easily manipulated andrequiring but little attention to keep it in operation.

For a full understanding of the merits and advantages of the inventionreference is to be had to the accompanying drawings and the followingdescription.

The improvement is susceptible of various changes in the form,proportion, and the minor details of construction without departing fromthe principle or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof, and to afull disclosure of the invention an adaptation thereof is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a perspective view showingthe invention in operation. tion showing the various currents of waterand air when the fountain is in operation.

Fig. 2 is a detail sec- Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing thereservoirs inverted.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in the several views of the accompanyingdrawings by the same reference-characters.

The stand for supporting the operating parts may be of suitable design,and comprises legs l and a flanged top 2, the latter 6o. receiving thebasin or fouut 3, which contains the supply of water or iuid essentialto the operation of the device and is of less area than the top. Thisbasin or fount may have any desired outline and configuration and may beeither of glass, metal, or other -tnatel rial, glass being preferredwhen the device is to be used as an aquarium.

The top 2 has a marginal portion projecting beyond the sides of thebasin or fount, and 7o this marginal portion is upturned at its outeredge, forming a guard to retain in place iiower-pots or other articlesplaced thereon, and in the event of water spilling over the basin thismarginal portionwill catch the same and prevent it falling upon thefloor and injuring the carpet or other covering. A tubular portion 4 iscentrally disposed with respect to the fouut or basin and rises from thebottom thereof 'a short distance and is in- 8o tended to prevent theentrance therein of sand, pebbles, food, and other matter generallyemployed in connection with aquariums,- and also to prevent fish fromapproaching too close to the fountain mechanism.

A plug 5 is horizontally disposed and is provided at its ends withtubular extensions 6, which are supported by cross-pieces havingconnection with the legs of the stand, so as to support the plug 5 in ahorizontal position. 9o An oblique passage 7 is formed in the plug 5,about midway of its ends, and longitudinal passages 8 extend inward fromthe ends of the plug and communicate with the tubular extensions 6 andlead through opposite sides 95 of the plug adjacent to the obliquepassage 7 as shown at 9 and l0. This plug is relatively fixed, and asleeve ll is mounted thereon so as to turn and is provided atdiametrically opposite points with extensions 12, in which tof areformed corresponding passages 13 and 14, the upper passage 13communicating with the upper end of the passage 7 and the relativelylower passage 11 communicating with the lower end of the said passage 7in either position of the reservoirs. Similar reservoirs 15 and 1G haveconnection with the outer ends of the extensions 12, and each isprovided with a pipe 17, which extends from the inner end of thereservoir to within a short distance of the outer end and which areadapted to be alternately brought into communication with the passages 7and 9, according to the relative position of the reservoirs, as isobvious from Figs. 2 and 3. The plug 5 is tapering and the bore of thesleeve 11 is of a corresponding taper, so as to preserve and maintain aclose fit between these parts and provide for taking up wear withincertain limits.

A collar 1S is secured by means of a binding-screw 19 to the tubularextension 6, ad jacent to the smaller end of the plug, and is adapted toretain the sleeve 11 in working position upon the pluo. A pipe 2Oconnects the lower end of the tubular extension et with a tubularextension G, and a pipe 21 has communication with the other tubularextension G and passes through the part L and extends a short distanceabove the fount or basin, so as to project the water in a spray or jet,the latter falling back and being received into the basin or fount inthe usual way.

The operation of the invention can be readily understood from thedrawings by one conversant with this character of fountain, and, asshown in Fig. 2, the relatively lower reservoir 1G is full of water oriuid and the upper reservoir 15 is empty and filled with air, and uponreversing the position of the reservoirs, as shown in Fig. 3, theoperation will be as follows: The water from the basin or fount willllow into the reservoir 15 through the pipe 20, passages S, 9, and 13,and pipe 17, and the air displaced from the reservoir 15 will pass intothe upper or outer portion of-the reservoir 1G through the passages 14,7, and 13, and the pipe 17, and will exert a pressure upon the water inthe said reservoir 16 and force the same through the passages 14, 10,and 8, and the pipe 2l, and from the latter in a jet o1' spray whichwill fall into the fount or basin. This operation is repeated each timethe reservoirs are inverted. A catch 22, secured to a cross-piececonnecting adjacent legs of the stand, is adapted to engage with anotched lug or stop 23 on the side of the reservoirs and hold the latterin the required position.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is In afountain, the combination of a stand comprisinglegs and a horizontalperipherallyflanged top, a basin of less area than and supported by thetop whereby the exposed portion of the top forms a surrounding ledgeadapted to support iiowcr-pots, a central tubular open-topped guard-larranged concentricall y in the basin, a vertical dischargespoutarranged conoentrioally in said guard and terminating above the plane ofits upper edge, a supply-pipe communicating with the interior of theguard, and fountain mechanism connected with said supply-pipe anddischarge-spout, substantially as speciied.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

EMIL SCI-IOYEN.

Witnesses:

WM. N. PLYMAT, EMELIA NELSON.

